- 1How to Create a File in Linux
- 2How to Rename a File in Linux
- 3How to Copy a File in Linux
- 4How to Move a File in Linux
- 5How to Delete a File in Linux
- 6How to Create a Directory in Linux
- 7How to Delete a Directory in Linux
- 8How to Copy Directories Recursively in Linux
- 9Delete Directories Recursively in Linux
- 10How to View Hidden Files in Linux
- 11How to Create a Hidden File in Linux
- 12How to Create a Hidden Directory in Linux
- 13How to Find Files in Linux Using find Command
- 14Find Files in Linux Using locate Command
- 15How to View File Contents Using cat in Linux
- 16How to View File Contents Using less in Linux
- 17View File Contents Using the more Command in Linux
- 18Compare Files Using diff Command in Linux
- 19Compare Files in Linux Using cmp Command
- 20Check File Type in Linux with file Command
- 21Create Symbolic Links with ln -s in Linux
- 22How to Archive Files Using tar Command in Linux
- 23Compress Files with gzip in Linux – Beginner Tutorial
- 24How to Compress Files Using bzip2 in Linux
- 25Compress Files in Linux Using zip Command
- 26Extract Compressed Files using tar in Linux
- 27Extract ZIP Files on Linux with unzip
- 28How to Extract .gz Files using gunzip in Linux
How to Move a File in Linux
How to Move a File in Linux
In this Linux tutorial, we’re going to learn how to move files using the terminal.
Maybe you've created a file in the wrong folder. Or downloaded something that you now want to organize into the correct directory. Well, Linux makes that super easy using a simple command called mv
.
The mv Command
The mv
command stands for "move". It’s used to move files from one place to another—or even rename them!
Basic Syntax
mv source_file target_directory
That’s it! Let’s walk through a real example.
Example 1: Moving a File to Another Folder
Let’s say you have a file called notes.txt
in your home folder, and you want to move it into a folder called Documents
.
mv notes.txt Documents/
If the move is successful, there will be no message. That’s normal!
notes.txt is now inside the Documents folder.
Example 2: Moving and Renaming a File
You can also move a file and rename it at the same time.
mv notes.txt Documents/my_notes.txt
File has been moved and renamed to Documents/my_notes.txt
Example 3: Using Absolute Paths
If you’re not in the same folder as the file, use absolute paths:
mv /home/user/notes.txt /home/user/Documents/
What If the File Doesn’t Exist?
If you try to move a file that doesn’t exist, Linux will give you an error:
mv random.txt Documents/
mv: cannot stat 'random.txt': No such file or directory
Make sure the file name is correct and that you're in the right directory.
Pro Tips
- Use
ls
to list files before you move them. - Use
mv -i
to prompt before overwriting existing files. - Use
mv -v
to see what’s happening (verbose mode).
mv -iv notes.txt Documents/
Recap
To move a file in Linux, just use mv
followed by the file name and the destination folder. That’s it!
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